Interdigital toe-positioner



Aug. 16, 1960 Filed Oct. 27, 1954 A. E. MURRAY INTERDIGITAL TOE-FOSITIONER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Alan, E. Murray ATTO g N EY 16, 1950 A. E. MURRAY 2,949,112

INTERDIGITAL TOE-POSITIONER Filed Oct. 27, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Alan EMurray INTERDIGITAL TOE-POSITIONER Alan E. Murray, 130 W. 10th St., New York 14, NR1.

Filed Oct. 27, 1954, Ser. No. 465,109

3 Claims. (Cl. 128-81) My invention relates particularly to means for attaining greater accuracy and control in the making of apparel, and the process of accomplishing this aim, as well as the products produced thereby, for interdigital wear, etc.

An object of my invention is to accomplish greater accuracy in the making of footwear by maintaining the position of the toes and the metatarsal region of the foot, either above or both above and below the same.

Another object is to provide toe inserts as a toe positioner or toe-lock, which will maintain the position of the toes either during the making of casts therewith or the making of shoes therefrom, as well as during the wearing of shoes so made.

A further object is to make possible the production of casts which more accurately and faithfully conform to the actual foot shape of the wearer.

Also, a further object is to provide footwear which retains the true position of the toes and metatarsal region of .the foot as a result thereof.

Still another object is to provide means and procedures by which footwear is made available having the intimate contours of the fore-part of the foot incorporated therein with such a great degree of accuracy as to make it desirable and feasible to have the intimate contours so made incorporated in an insert, which may be worn within substantially any shoe of any type and which need not conform to all the outer foot contours.

Still another object is to provide shoe inserts carrying the said high degree of accuracy or conforrnahility enabling the same to be worn in comfort in shoes of almost any type.

Another object is to produce molded shoes having a character adapted for wear with such inserts but with which said shoes need not have foot-fitting contours.

Further objects of my invention will appear from the detailed description of the same hereinafter.

While my invention is capable of embodiment in many different forms, for the purpose of illustration I have shown only certain forms thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l is a plan View of one form of a toe-positioner or toe-lock;

Fig. 2 is a similar plan view of smaller-sized toe-positioner or toe-lock;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a foot showing the position of said toe-lock thereon;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section of the same taken on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of one of the inserts having top and bottom members, for the top and bottom of the foot;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the insert of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of each of the two pieces of jersey cloth for forming said insert;

Fig. 8 is a plan View of a toe-positioner s'ock used in place of the jersey cloth shown in Fig. 7;

States Patent 0 ice Fig. 9 is a plan view of the insert shown in Fig. '5, showing ventilating holes therein.

In carrying out my invention, I preferably make a toepositioner or insert such as the toe-lock sh'own in'Figs. 1 or 2. Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, in making the said toepositioner as an interdigital toe lock, I may make "a full sized insert 1 for the top of the foot, as shown in Fig. 1, or I may make a smaller insert 2, shown in Fig. 2, which are made the same except forthe fact that in the insert 2 a greater portion is trimmed from around the same, as hereinafter described. Also, the procedure in making said inserts 1 and 2 is substantially the same for the left foot 3 and the right foot, respectively. For this purpose, the foot 3 is placed on any desired surface, which may be a flat surface of a table top, while the wearer may be seated on a chair locatedon the table and with the weight of the foreleg resting on the table top. Preferably instead, however, I may rest the foot 3 on any chosen portion of a ball-shaped surface 4, as shown in Fig. 4, in accordance with the procedure of supporting the feet as described in my issued Patent No. 2,742,717, in order to provide convex supporting surfaces at either side of the .top of the ball surface for the respective left and right feet, the said portions of which surfaces approximately conform to the underneath concave curvatures of the arches or metatarsal regions of the respective feet.

Thereupon, I place over the front portion of the foot, as shown in Fig. 3, a piece of jersey cloth 5, which is the material from which underwear is made, that is to say which is very stretchable into any desired S-dimensional shape. The cloth 5 is preferably woven on a tubular, I01 convex, form so that the threads inthe weaving take a circular or curved direction when being woven.

Thereupon, I prepare a mud made of thickened neoprene latex or any other latex, which may be thickened as set forth in my Patent No. 2,742,717 aforesaid, or in my Patent No. 2,568,291 referred to therein. Of course, any rubber, or artificial rubber, latex of a similar character could be used instead, to make the mud. Into an amount of the said thickened neoprene latex suflicient to form a positive cast I knead a quantity of diced felt, such as /8 cubes, or granules of a smaller size, to produce a consistency about like that of cottage cheese. The said felt is preferably of the cheap gray flooring felt, which is generally made from mill ends or waste and which is comprised generally of 40% wool and 60% cotton waste comprising the various impurities commonly present in such waste. However, instead of the said felt, other types of felt could be used, or wool flocks or cotton flocks or rayon flocks, etc. Also therewith, I may or may not introduce into the thickened latex and felt granules any desired quantity of a filler, such as wood flour. This, for example, may be a pine wood flour or any other one or more kinds of wood flour. This mud, with or without the filler, may have the proportions of the three different materials widely varied to produce the desired consistency, but, for example, it may be comprised of one part by 'volume of the thickened latex, one part by volume of the diced felt, and one-half part by volume of wood flour.

The jersey cloth 5 is now pressed down between the toes to the surface 4, with the aid of a dull tool or table knife, into the recess between the big toe and the next toe, and while so pressed down a quantity of the mud 6 is forced, with the fingers, into the cloth within the recesses from above. The other three toe recesses are then filled in, in a similar way, one after another, until the cloth 5 and the mud 6 is extruded beneath and towards the adjacent underneath portions of the respective toes, as shown in Fig. 4. This results in the production of two wrinkles 7 and 8 at the rear of each of the -toe recesses, which are thereupon snipped off with a pair of scissors. Some of the thickened latex is then applied on top of the cloth 5 extending outwardly to a marginal line 9, as shown in Fig. 3, which extends considerably beyond the outer margins of the front of the foot, so that this entire portion of the cloth 5 becomes completely saturated with the latex. Thereupon, I shake some powdered plaster of Paris all over the top of the impregnated cloth 5. Then, I apply a second, or top, piece of jersey cloth of the same size and character as that above referred to, which is placed over the top of the cloth 5 and the interdigital mud toe-separators 6, and mold the same downwardly with the fingers, all over the top at the front metatarsal portion of the foot and toes. The latex, meantime, will have completely saturated the top cloth 10. Then, with a table knife, I mold the jersey cloth pieces 5 and 10 underneath the toe ends and over and beyond the opposite edges of the foot, as shown in Fig.

4. Next, I brush over the top of the said cloth 10 some thickened latex so that the cloth becomes well impregnated therewith. A fan, or hair dryer producing a current of heated air, is then directed onto the said foot support for about fifteen minutes, whereupon the latex and powdered plaster of Paris will have become partly set, and sufliciently dried for the insert to hold its shape.

The foot is now carefully removed from the insert. This can be readily done because of its elasticity, and in spite of the extruded enlarged lower portions located between the toes, as shown in Fig. 4. The fan, or hair dryer, is now directed onto the support for about twelve hours, in which time the same will have become substantially completely set and capable of being worn on the foot. Alternatively, if it is desired to further conform the insert to the foot in any given instance, it can be replaced and worn on the foot within less than the said twelve hours to completely shape it and intimately conform it to the interdigital recesses and in complete conformation with the other foot contours.

The insert thus made, before being returned to the foot for general or permanent wear, may be cutoff around the line of the marginal indentation 11, as shown in Fig. 4, on both sides of the foot and in front of the toes so as to produce the full sized support 1, as shown in Fig. 1. However, if a smaller insert is desired, instead, it may be cut along a line 12, as shown in Fig. 3, or at any other desired outline thereon. Also, if desired, the extruded portions 6 between the toes, as shown in Fig. 4, may be cut off somewhat along a line or level 13, as shown in Fig. 4, or to any other desired degree, while still leaving downward portions thereof extruded between the toes laterally in the interdigital spaces.

As an alternative procedure, the final insert may be made of sponge rubber, especially as sponge rubber is more elastic and compressible than the materials of which the inserts 1 and 2 have been made. For this purpose, I may make initially an insert as above described, after which any desired negative plaster of Paris cast may be made of said insert. Then finally pour into the said plaster negative a moldable rubber or a sponge rubber material or composition which, when solidified carries therein throughout the body of the rubber small cavities, having the usual compressibility of sponge rubber.

As a further modification of the latter alternative method, instead of making the initial foot support of the two pieces of jersey cloth 5 and 10 and the mud 6, I may make the initial model by means of a moulage or by forming a plastic mold of plastelene, which is a nonsetting mixture of clay and a mineral oil, or of the dental molding material commonly used by dentists, doctors,

suspending the toes from the upper surface of the foot, and can be worn on the foot inside the shoe, with or without a sock, even when the shoe is non-fitting or oversized, while preserving the position of the toes and the shape of the foot, or it may be worn within a sock without a shoe, especially as the support will effectively resist the usual tendency of the sock or shoe or both to produce undesirable displacements of the toes. Also, the inserts 1 and 2, while locking the toes in their true relation, will, nevertheless, permit bending and free movement of the toes during the exercise thereof.

The said toe-lock 1 or 2, but preferably the smaller toe-lock 2, may now be used for making a more accurate cast of the foot on which a shoe is to be made. For this purpose, the toe-lock 2 may be placed on the foot so as to hold the toes in position accurately, and the foot with the toe-lock thereon may then be used to produce a very accurate negative cast, followed by the making of an accurate positive cast therefrom, in accordance with the procedure described, for example, in my Patent No. 2,177,304, granted December 24, 1939. When the positive plaster cast is obtained therefrom the toe-lock 2 may be placed on the cast and a molded shoe built therefrom, in accordance with any of the procedures in my previous patents. In wearing the shoe the wearer will, preferably, wear the said toe-lock 2 on the foot beneath a sock within the shoe.

Or, as an alternative method of making a cast, I can proceed as follows: In making a negative cast in the following way, I am enabled to tighten up the tissues of the foot without losing the relative shape of the different parts of the foot. This procedure draws the foot together while keeping its approximate shape, due to the presence of a toe-positioner or toe-lock. For this purpose, the foot may be supported upon an appropriate portion of the curvature 4 of the ball or spherical surface, such as is described in my Patent No. 2,742,717, having a radius of approximately 36".

In some cases it may be desirable to make a composite insert 24 having a pyramid 25 carried by a lower flap member 26 located opposite the interdigital extrusions 6 on the upper fiap 27. In order to make the composite insert 24 I may utilize the toe-lock 1 or 2, but, preferably, I may utilize the toe-lock produced hereinabove before being trimmed off around the marginal edges thereof. Accordingly, the untrimmed toe-lock 1 or 2 is placed on the foot or on a cast but, before placing the said toe-lock on the foot or cast it is preferably provided with a thin casting of Vaseline on the lowermost ends of the several different interdigital extrusions 6, which extend downwardly between the respective toes. Then, the underneath forward part of the foot is coated with a thickened latex. Thereupon, I provide a piece of jersey cloth 28, powdered with plaster of Paris, and, placing it underneath the forward part of the foot, I press it up with the fingers, into the contours of the forward portion of the foot and especially so as to form the pyramid in the recesses between the toes respectively, and between the toes as a group and the metatarsal portion of the foot. I then coat the jersey cloth 28 all over the underside with the latex. Beneath the said jersey cloth 28 and in the cavities therein formed as above, I now fill in the cavities therein formed as above with the felted latex mud made as hereinabove described. However, the cubic granulas of felt may be substituted by crumbs of foam-rubber, which are in the form of pellets or granulas, about the size of grapenut grains, a product which is known on the market under the name of foam rubber crumb, and which is a foamrubber, either of natural or synthetic rubber, having very small or microscopic pockets therein. Then, I pinch together the outer margins of the toe-lock and the jersey cloth 28 all around the front margins thereof so as to make substantially a horizontally extending web of the top and bottom fabrics, which are then trimmed off with scissors around the foot margin. Another cover piece of jersey cloth 29 powdered with plaster of Paris, of the same type but which may be somewhat smaller than the piece of cloth 28, is then placed over the top of the toelock 1 or 2 and below the piece 28, which has had applied to the inner surface of the cloth 29 thickened latex, which may be also trimmed off around the foot margin. Instead of the cover piece 29, however, I preferably use for this purpose the toe-portion of a sock 30, powdered with plaster of Paris, which is now placed over the top 27 and bottom 26 of the insert after the latter has been coated on top and bottom with thickened latex. Prefrerably, also, the said cloth 29 or sock 30, after being applied to the foot, may be coated with thickened latex and thereafter dusted with powdered plaster of Paris. In either case, whether made with the cover 29 or the sock 30, the composite insert 24 is, when partially set, trimmed by cutting off the same on the vertical line 31 extending through the middle of the big toe and on a vertical line 32 extending through the middle of the little toe, thus leaving the extreme outside of the foot, including the lateral portions of said big toe and little toe, uncovered. Also, if desired, the rear toe-lock margin 27 and the underneath rear margin 26 may be trimmed off into curved lines, as shown in Fig. 9.

As an alternative, in making the said insert 24, instead of making the toe-lock 1 or 2 therein with neoprene latex mud I may substitute for the latter a molding clay known as plastelene, hereinabove referred to, so that then the completed composite insert 24 would have within the same the interdigital extruded toe-separators 6 made with the plastelene. This remains moldable and plastic as it is a non-setting material, and would act substantially the same as a body of ordinary mud in a natural terrain, in which the foot might be Walking. Also, as shown in Fig. 9, I may provide a plurality of series of ventilating perforations 33 corresponding to the lines above and below the respective toes, in both the upper portion 27 and the lower portion 26 thereof.

Now, I can make a shoe having substantially no top and bottom detail, at the portion of the foot comprising the toes and the adjoining metatarsal part of the foot, by placing this composite toe positioner, which includes the interdigital toe-separating elements 6 and pyramid 25, on the foot or on an accurate cast of the foot made by any one of the applicants processes for making a cast of the foot, and the shoe may be made thereon by any one of the applicants molding methods, as set forth in any of applicants issued patents or applications for Letters Patent relating thereto. In other words, with said composite inserts 24 and shoes made in this way, when worn on the foot in the shoe and with or without a sock covering the foot and insert, the insert fills in the free space between the shoe and the foot. Also, because of this fact, the inserts 24 enable stock shoes of the ordinary kind to be worn on the feet with a great degree of comfort and effectiveness because the insert occupies the front part of the shoe to support the foot against the non-fi-tting contours of such shoes when not molded to fit the feet.

It will be understood that the insert 24, being of very flexible material, can be turned inside out so as to permit the inner surface to be brushed out, but also so as to remove the superficial rubber in order to expose the fibers of the fabrics, if desired. Similarly, if desired, the inner surface can be provided with a further coating of latex, but if a latex or rubber surface is retained inside the composite insert 24, it is preferable in wearing to provide the same with a coating of powdered talc, or talcum powder, to prevent the surface from being adherent.

While I have described my invention above in detail 1 wish it to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the same.

I claim:

1. A toe positioner comprising a resilient molded piece having a member which spans a plurality of the toes: of the feet which member has resilient three dimensional form exactly conforming to the contours of the exposed surface portion of the toes, a plurality of interdigital elements carried by said member each of which is adapted to fit into a space between the toes, said interdigital elements being resilient and having a three dimensional form that corresponds to and faithfully follows the natural contours of the toes adjacent the space whereby the toes are separated by resilient yielding members that apply pressure conforming to the natural contour of the toes and in which structure the said member that spans a plurality of the toes of the feet completely envelops the front portion of the foot.

2. A toe positioner comprising a resilient molded piece having a member which spans a plurality of toes of the feet which member has resilient three-dimensional form exactly conforming to the contours of the exposed surface portion of the toes, a plurality of interdigital elements carried by said member each of which is adapted to fit into a space between the toes, said interdigital ele ments being resilient and having a three dimensional form that corresponds to and faithfully follows the natural contours of the toes adjacent the space whereby the toes are separated by resilient yielding members that apply pressure conforming to the natural contour of the toes and in which the said member includes a resilient toe recess pyramid having three dimensional form that fits up into the metatarsal arch and follows the natural contours thereof.

3. A toe positioner comprising a resilient molded piece having a member which spans a plurality of toes of the feet which member has resilient three-dimensional form exactly conforming to the contours of the exposed surface portion of the toes, a plurality of interdigital elements carried by said member each of which is adapted to fit into a space between the toes, said interdigital velements being resilient and having a three dimensional form that corresponds to and faithfully follows the natural contours of the toes adjacent the space whereby the toes are separated by resilient yielding members that apply pressure conforming to the natural contour of the toes and in which the toe positioner comprises a porous fabric material having cured rubber latex positioned in the pores thereof which maintains the fabric material in its three dimensional form which fits the natural contour of the toes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 715,543 Bosworth Dec. 9, 1902 1,163,490 Weil Dec. 7, 1915 1,402,375 Parisi Jan. 3, 1922 1,636,905 Falor et al. July 26, 1927 1,720,120 Diveley et al July 9, 1929 1,914,049 Smith June 13, 1933 2,026,620 Finn Jan. 7, 1936 2,177,304 Murray Oct. 24, 1939 2,224,196 Peterson Dec. 10, 1940 2,471,997 Baltor May 31, 1949 2,575,867 Ferri Nov. 20, 1951 2,663,887 Murray Dec. 29, 1953 2,668,304 Murray Feb. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 430,639 Germany June 21, 1926 525,059 Great Britain Aug. 21, 1940 

